Chuck Curry: Whiny hippies and why you should care

It's easy to make fun of the whiny hippies on the popular cable TV show "Whale Wars." But don't dismiss them. Southwest Florida and everywhere else can learn a lesson from them.

In case you haven't seen the show, "Whale Wars" is about a group of environmentalists (as I call the "whiny hippies" to needle our daughter, who is a fan of the show) who try to stop Japanese from killing whales in the Antarctic.

It's obvious the hippies, led by Paul Watson who was reportedly booted from Greenpeace's board for being too confrontational, don't appreciate irony. They bemoan the Japanese fleet trying to follow it's flagship vessel, yet they're following the Japanese. Goose? Gander? They try to foul the propellers of whaling ships, but when it appears the Japanese might try the same to them they fall all over themselves in anger. Goose? Gander? Well, just whine, whine and whine.

I don't have to describe what happens when they see a whale harpooned. The blubbering isn't just on the whaling factory ship.

Overall, their success, they say, is that that prevent the Japanese from getting all the whales they want ... hmm, just more whining since they can't stop the whaling. Really, they haven't and I don't believe it's just to extend the TV show for another season.

By the way, no matter your point of view, it's excellent television and new episodes are currently running on Animal Planet on Friday nights and repeated throughout the week. Check your cable/dish guide for times.

Japanese whalers are the other side of the coin. They hold up signs that say they are conducting research and taking tissue samples as they haul in whales and leave a bloody trail behind in the ocean. Funny, but they also use water cannons to keep the environmentalists' boats away; nets to prevent environmentalists' stink bombs from reaching the decks of their ships; and blast an ultra-loud screeching system usually used by police to keep crowds at bay. I'm sure all of these features are traditions if you are conducting marine research.

Yet, while it is fun to make fun of these modern-day hippies (one of the key members of the crew of the Sea Shepherd has arms almost as thin as a rake but a comical Popeye-sized anchor tattoo), they have grit and they put it on the open ocean. The hippie I just mentioned actually has more brass than an orchestra. Can you say the same for whatever cause you support?

In the United States and across Southwest Florida there are liberals, conservatives, centrists and eccentrics putting themselves out there each day.

The only question is, "Can you say the same?"

Sure, Watson blusters about while posturing for the camera but at least he's there with the rest of the volunteer crew. I wouldn't exactly say they have been successful, but that's not the point.

Look in the mirror and ask yourself, for the benefit of all Southwest Florida:

"When did you last volunteer your TIME to a cause?"

Remember it's time, not money. An hour of volunteer work is just as personally expensive for someone who cannot afford to miss work as it is the cost of a rich person's hour.

I'm not going to sit in judgment of any cause and certainly would never try to tell someone which cause to champion, but the issue remains: are you really out there?

It only takes a quick look in the mirror to answer this question and make a difference.